Manufacture of shoes



Nov. 2, 193'?z H. R. PERRY r-:r AL

MANUFACTURE OF SHOES Filed sept. e, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 J'Yzzrai Perry Y sm, R wwwmwm NN WM A ool goh@ .WWAMOMMQQ E w VN. mm. uw wm H. R. PERRY El' AL Nov. 2, 1937.

` MANUFCTURE OF SHOES Filed Sept. 6, 1934 4 Sheeecs--Shee'fl 2 hab/enivre QZZZI/s.

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MANUFACTURE oF sHoEs V Filed sept. s, 1934 nwmN, j Y@www u* /wrzr' Harald JZ Perry 6.a. :IMC Y C V Nov.`2, 1937. H. R. PERRY ET AL MANUFACTURE 0F SHOES I Filed Sept. 6, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 n Eme@ RN RMN %%.ww\ 5T .QN V A NQN MSN RN QN- MUM JHFM NQNV` lm fn. Tn MME.. www VS1 ...........H..........H. mmmmwwmw )RMN Q mf fnvenians Harold Perry ZiZy Patented Nov. 2', 1937 i y UNITED STATES PATENTv 'OFFICE Harold R..I Perry, Swarthmore, Pa., and Chester i S. Jennings, Syracuse, N. Y., assignors to The Lamson Companyrisyracuse, N.

tion of Massachusetts 3 'Applistionfseptmter s, 1934, serial Nanasso Y., a corpora.-

` formance of certain operations thereon. The reduction in moisture content designated briefly as dryingvorfconditioning" has usually been car-` riedout by allowing the Work in progress to stand in the work room fora number of hours until enough moisturehas evaporated. This is objectionable because of the length of timerequiredfor drying the shoes inprogress and the consequent delay in completing the manufacture of the shoesparticularly when several such drying stages are required beforethe shoes are compieted.\ i y Y.

Moreover the drying attained by allowingthe work to stand in the factory is very inaccurate. The condition of the work is roughly determined merely by its feel or appearance and the amount of drying `varies in accordance with the humidity of the room in whichthe work stands. Furthermore the length ofltime during which the work is `drying would be limited by the amount of iioor space availablelfor storage or might be out shortby an operator, in `haste to start` the succeeding operation.

The primaryobjects ofthis invention are to e provide drying periods at various points in the Y progress of the workof thelength found to produce the most satisfactory...results` on the work; to supply at such 4periods substantially `the amount and type of drying required bythe workV u according to its moisture content andthe. treatments for which'A the workis being prepared;r to

prevent any operators from reducing the length of the drying periods; and, in brief, to insure'ac-` curate. drying of the work as its completion. i i t These and other objects of this invention will appear from aconsideration ofthe following description of an installationin a department for making mens weltshoes embodying this invention and of the accompanying drawings which form a part of the description and in which .e Figs. 1 and 1a together show,.in diagrammatic plan view, atypical installation embodying this Figs. 2.3, 4 and 5 are schematic side'eclevations partly in section illustrating thelasting, bottoming, making and finishing group" of the installaignated by the terms lasting, welting,

I COnVeyOl 'tion shown in" Figs. and `1u,` in each of which groups are provided one or more drying periods; Fig. 6 vis Aa schematic plan view on a reduced scale of aportion of the bottoming group shown inFig.3;` Y"

F'igJA is a chart illustrating the amount of I moisture in a shoe at various stages in its manufacture;` and l Fig. 8 is a vdiagrammatic view illustrating one ployed to carry out thisinvention.

The department for the manufacture of mens weltfshoes by the installation shown in Figs. 1

and 1a: is divided into six groups commonly desmaking, finishing and treeing as indicated by `legends on the drawings.` Each `group includes a plurality of overlapping conveyors by which the shoesy in progress are delivered to and removed `form of dehumidifying plant whichmay be em- 10 benaming.

from the variousoperator stations following substantially the disclosure in the patent to Perry No, 1,948,127.r The` successive progress of the shoes through the various groups ,of this installation will be described briefiy,it being understood that upon arrival at cach station the shoes are treated `by an operator in the manner indicated. i

The uppers and lasts areassembled' onfthe floor` belowV the lasting group and sent by the racks of the conveyor I0 to the pulling over operators at the group station Il, by racks on the I2` tothe side lasting operators at the group station I3;v and by racks on theconveyor I4 to the'bedylasting operators at the group station I5, the'shoes during this stage ofthe journey travellingpast and being removed from and re- 4turned tothe conveyor Il by the butt tacking op- .erator at station i6. The bed `lasting operators `place the shoes on the conveyor i1 which carries themthrough a drying chamber I8 supplied with warm airto the toe trimming operator at sta-` tion IB who after completing this operation places theshoes lon a .floor rack 20 by which `the shoes are moved to the welting group. l

The ,shoes are removed at the welting group station `2I andplaced upon conveyor 22 for delivery to the `welt sewing operators at the group station 23. The welt seWingoperators-place. the shoes upon the conveyor 24 by which they are carat station 2,6 by whom the shoesvare taken from and returned tothe conveyor 2l. The shoesuare placed by the operator at station 25 on the cone from theI racksZ by thetack` pullingoperator at,

friedffto Vthe inseam `trimming. operator `at station 5 `25 past the tack pulling and toe wiring operator 'veyor V21 fromwhich they are removedand re- 55 A placed by the welt butting operator 28 and from which they are nally removed by the inner sole tack pulling operator at station 29. That operator places,` them on the conveyor 30 by which they are rendered successively accessible to the welt beating operator at station 3|, the shank sticking operator at station 32 and the bottom lling operator at'station 33. The operators at stations 3| and 32 remove and return the shoes to the conveyor 30, the operator at station 33 however after removing the shoes places them on the conveyor 34 by which they are carried to the welt and inseam cementing operator at station 35 who placesthem after treatment on a iioor rack 35. '1 v In the bottoming group the soles which have previously been moistened in any suitable manner are secured to the shoesv removed from the racks 35 which have been treated in the welting group. 'I'he sole laying operators at the group station 31. place the shoes so treated upon the conveyor 38 bywhich they are carried to the rough rounding and channel opening operators atthe group station 39 which operators place the shoes on the conveyor 48'for transportation to the sole stitching operators at the group station 9|; It will be understood that these treatments of the shoes are facilitated vby the ilexibility of the soles due to the moisture content thereof. However following the sole stitching operation the amount of moisture must be reduced, and this is done by carrying the shoes through a drying chamber 42 by the conveyor 43 on which the stitched shoes are placed. The

chamber 42 is supplied withL a stream of air which may or may not, as pointed out below, be conditioned, i. e. brought to' a predetermined temperature and the normal moisture content reduced to an appreciable extent.A The conveyor 43 thereafter presents the shoes to the channel Acenienting operator at station 44'who then places them on the conveyor 45 on which they are further` dried by Va passage inthe air of the work room for such a length of time as has been found sufficient to render the cement tacky. The shoes are then presented to the channel laying operator at station 45 who places them on the conveyor 41. Under certain conditions (for example, when the soles are not channeled) the channel cementing and laying operations are omitted and the shoes leaving the drier '42 are presented by the conveyor 43'direct1yt'o the stitch separating and wheeling'operator at station 48. The sho'es, placed upon the'conveyor 41, are carried thereby to the heel seat nailing operator at station 58 and then placed on the conveyor 5| -which carries them through the drying chamber 52 to the leveling operators at the group station 53. The chamber 52 is supplied with conditioned air and the moisture content of the'shoe soles further reduced so that Athey are in the best possible condition for the levelling operation which sets up considerable strain and stress therein. The shoes are then placed by the levelling operators upon the conveyor 54A byv which they are carried to the heel seat rounding operator at station places them on a floor rack 56.

The treatment of the shoes in the making group begins by transferring them from a rack 56 to the conveyor 51 which carries'them through 55 ,who then theI drying chamber 58. The chamber 58 is supplied by conditioned airand Athe shoes remain therein for such a period of time that the moisturecontent particularly of the soles will be reduced to the optimum at which theycan be handled most advantageously in the making group and in the sole builing or burnishing treatment which follows in the flnishing group. 'Ihe shoes are presented by the conveyor 51 to the heel attaching operator at station 59 and placed by that operator on the conveyor 50. The conveyor 58 carries the shoes to the heel Vbreasting operator at station 5| past the top lift slugging operator at station 52 and the heel shaving operator at station 53, the top lift slugging and heel shaving operators replacing the shoes upon the conveyor 50. After heel breasting the shoes are placed on the conveyor 54 and presented to the edge trimming operators at the group station 55 who thereafter place them on the conveyor 55. `While in transit on the conveyor 55 the shoes may, if this treatment is desired, be removed by the jointing operator at station 51 and replaced on the upper strand from which they are removed by the edge inking operator at station 58. This operator replaces the shoes on the lower strand of the conveyor 55 so that, due to the direction of movement of the conveyor (see Fig. 4), they travelv an appreciable distance before reaching theA edge setting operafor the ink on the edge to dry. The edge setting .operators place the shoes on the conveyor 18 from which they are removed andl replaced by the breast scouring operators at station 1| and from which they are finally removed by the heel scouring operator at station 12 who places them on a oor rack 13. l

At the nishinggroup the shoes are removed from the racks 13 by the heel burnishing operator of the group station 14 and placed upon the conveyor 15 which carries them 'throughla drying chamber 16 supplied with warm air. The shoes thus dried are presented to a bottom scouring'operator of the group station 11 and then placed on the conveyor 18- by which they are carried to a gumming and staining operator at station 19 or to a painting operator at station 80 depending uponthe type of shoes in progress. Thereafter the shoes are placed on the conveyor 8| by which they are carried through a drying chamber 92 by which the stain or paint is dried.y In cases where the shoes are painted it may be desirable for the conveyor 8| to carry them, following the drying, to the gumming operator of station 19 and in other cases the shoes may be .carried by the conveyor 8| to the cutting andvpaneling operator at station 93. Either operator places the shoes on the conveyor 94 by whichy they arepresented to one of the polishing operators at the groupstation 85 by whom they are placed on the conveyor 86.v The conveyor 85 presents the shoes successively to the bottom wheeling operator at station y81, the last pulling operator at station 88, and the shank nailing operator at station 89 any or all of which stations may be omitted and iinally to the bottom stamping operators atstation 98 by whom the shoes are placed on a floor rack 9|.

The oor rack is moved to the operator at station 82 of the treeing group. It the lasts have already been pulled the operator at station 92 searches for tacks therein and applies the heel pads. The shoes are then placed on conveyor 93 and carried thereby to group station 98 where the shoes are treed on shoe trees and placed on conveyor 95. If the lasts have not been previously pulled the lasted shoes are taken from the rack 9| Iat station 95, and placed on conveyor 95 by which they are carried successively to station 34 fortreeing on the last, then to station 91 where the lasts are pulled, and to station 33 where the shoes are searched for tacksand heel pads applied and returned to conveyor 35. 'I'he shoes, now all in the same condition, are carried by the conveyor 35 past station |00 where they are singed to station where the first filling operation is performed and then placed on conveyor |02 which travelling in the reverse directionV to conveyor 35 carries the shoes past group station |33 where any necessary repairs are performed to station |04 where the second filling operation takes place. The shoes are then placed on conveyor |05 and carried thereby to station |06 for the first dressing operation, are transferred to conveyorV |01 which carries them to station |06 for the second dressing operation and placed on conveyor |03. That conveyor carries the shoes to station ||0 where the laces are supplied and the shoes are placed on conveyor which carries them to group station I |2 where the finalbrushing operation is performed, and the shoes are placed on a rack |3by which they are carried to another department of the plant.

`From the foregoing description it will be noted that the shoes during their manufacture are subjected` to drying operations repeatedly of several different types the duration and function of which` vary in accordance with the amount of moisture to be removed. The chart shown in Fig. 'I indicates roughly the relative moisture content of the shoes at` various stages during their travel through the groups.

The shoes in the lasting group are carried'by the conveyor i1 through a drying chamber I8. Air forced by a blower |20 through a suitable heater B2i and pipe |22 enters one end ofthe drying chamber and escapes through the apertures |23 by which theconveyor l1 enters and leaves the chamber. The drying chamber includes partitions |24 between the conveyor runsand the air flows through the various compartments both against and with the travel of the shoes. Any

`moisture in the uppers o f the shoes is thus practically eliminated so that they are substantially dry when the toes are trimmed at station I9.

The treatment of the shoes in the bottoming group includes three drying stages. The drying chamber 42 may be supplied with untreated air by a blower |25 through a pipe |26 which enters one end of the chamber, shown in Fig. 3 as at the bottom. The drying chamber 42 is divided by partitions |21 into compartments for the con-V veyor runs and the air flows through said compartments leaving the chamber at apertures |26 through which the conveyor 43 enters and leaves the drier. In place of untreated air the chamber 42 may be supplied with conditioned air from a unit |30 feeding the pipe |26 through a gate 3| which may be opened or closed as desired. If the air in the plant is dry and cool. as for example in the winter, such air is capable of reducing the moisture content of the shoe soles to suchan extent that the channel cementing operation at station 44 can be successfully and satisfactorily performed. When however conditioned air is required in this drying chamber the gate |3| is opened and the blower |25 cut off by closing a gate |32. The conveyor 45 carries the shoes through the work room in order that the cement at the channels be rendered properly tacky. This stage is designated for convenience as open drying. The drying chamber 52 is supplied with conditioned air from the unit |36 through a gate controlled pipe '|33 one end of which joins the pipe |23 while the other end enters the bottom o! the structure near one end thereof passes through the various compartments formed by partitions |34 and escapes through the apertures |35 by which the conveyor 5| enters and leaves the chamber.

`In the making group the drying chamber 56 is supplied with conditioned air from a unit |36 through a pipe |31 which entersV the chamber adjacent one end. The air passes through the various compartments in the chamber formed by partitions |33 and escapes from the chamber through theconveyor entrance and exit openings |39. u

The drying chambers 16 and 62 of the finishing group are supplied with warmed air by means through the apertures |45 and |46 respectively by which the conveyors 15 and 8| enter and leave the drying chambers. Suitable gates |41 are provided in the pipes |42 and |43 to control the flow of air therethrough.

The particular type or form of air conditioning apparatus employed to supply conditioned air to the drying chambers of the bottoming and making groups constitutes no part of the present invention. That selected for illustration and shown diagrammatically in Figs. la, 3, 4 and 8 is one employing lithium chloride as a dehydrating agent. Lithium chloride when cool acts by `absorption to reduce the moisture content of air or other gas passed therethrough and when heated gives oil moisture.

Fig. 8 shows diagrammatically one form of apparatus applicable for the handling of lithium chloride and for the dehumidifying thereby of the air passed to the driers 42, 52 and 58. This unit comprises the air conditioning units |30 and |36 and a unit |50 for regenerating the lithium chloride. Each conditioning unit comprises meansfor supplyingV a cooled lithium chloride solution thereto, means for bringing air into contact with the lithium chloride solution for dehumidiiication,` means for heating the air, and means for introducing the heated and dehumidiiled (i. e. conditioned) air into a drier connected therewith. The solution is supplied to the unit by a pipe |5| and delivered by a head |52 upon a plurality of blocks |53. The blocks |53 serve as baffles to spread the solution into thin layers. After passing over the blocks the solution enters a sump and flows from the unit through a pipe |54. Air in the form of a stream forced into the bottom of the unit by ablower |55 gives up moisture to the solution as it passes in contacttherewith, is filtered at |56 and as it leaves the unit passes through a suitable heater |51.

The solution leaving the air conditioning units |30 and |36 flows into the sump of the regenerating unit |50 and is returned by a circulating pump |58 through a cooling coil |59 to the units |30 and |36. In the apparatus shown the solution -is returned to the unit |50 by a pump |60 from Itwill be noted that the circulation oi the solution through theunit is independent of that through the units |30 and |36 so that the latter are unaffected by the former whether at rest or in operation. 'I'he air supplied to certain of the driers by vthe units |30 and |36 is controlled so that it has a temperature never higher than 120 F. and a relative humidity never in excess of 20%, the preferable temperature and relative humidity being respectively not higher than F. and not in eircess` of 12%. Heretofore it has been proposed yto supply air to drying chambers of a much higher temperature than 120 F. and of a relative humidity above 20%. It is a well recognized fact that hot dry air quickly glazes the leather, such glazing not only being injurious to the leather, but acting to close the pores of the leather so that the moisture in the interior of the leather escapes more slowly and the comparatively high humidity is employed to counteract such injurious'eifects. It should therefore be particularly noted that the conditioned air which is supplied by the units |30 and |36 to certain dryers in which rapid drying of the shoes is required is cool and dry as compared with the higher, more moist air which has beenk proposed hitherto, and that this cool dry air acts to dry the shoes quickly without having any injurious eiects upon the leather.

` While certain embodiments of this invention have been shown and described it will be understood that the invention is not limited thereto and that other embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

y We claim: y y

1. The art of manufacturing shoes wherein the shoes are progressively assembled by operations performed at various stations, said shoes in progress containing moisture at the beginning oi A`the assembly operations, characterized in that the shoes are transported by conveyors to and from the stations and that just prior to the arrival of the shoes lat certain stations they are conveyed through chambers containing a body of air having a relative humidity oi' 12% to 20% and maintained at a temperature of 90 to 115 F. whereby the shoes, upon their arrival at such stations, contain that amount, oi' moisture which places them in the most desirable condition for the -ing operation, that additional moisture is removed prior to the bottom scouring operation, certain at least of said moisture removals being performed by conveying the shoes in progress through a chamber illled with conditioned air having a relative humidity of 12% to 20% and being maintained at a temperature between 90 to F.

l 3. That method of treating shoes in the course of manufacture by a plurality of operations which comprises the steps of predrying a body of air by absorption therefrom of moisture to a relative humidity of 12% to 20% while maintaining the air at a temperature of 90 to 115 F., introducing said predried air into a confined chamber at substantially said humidity and temperature and conveying such shoes containing moisture during their progress from one operation to the next succeeding operation through said chamber, whereby the moisture in the shoes is reduced by the predried air in the chamber to the degree required for such next succeeding operation at a temperature which will neither injure the leather nor diminish its porosity.

HAROLD R. PERRY. CHESTER S. JENNINGS. 

